Mine car and truck therefor



June 16, "1942. R. c. KEPNER MINE CAR AND TRUCK THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1940 INVENTOR finial! CK? 22a:

ATTORNEY June 16, 1942. I R c KEPNER 2,286,967

7 MINE CAR AND TRUCIK THEREFOR Filed April 25} 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIA VIII/11111111 IIfIIIII/IIIIIL IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIo ATTO R N EY June 16, 1942. c, KE E 2,286,967

MINE CAR AND TRUCK THEREFOR Filed April 25, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Rger! CKe vner M 1 flak. I

ATTORNEY tical, occurring in Patented June s, 1942 UNITED STAT MINE IAR AND TRUCK THEREFOR omsburg, Pa., asslgnor to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Robert C. Kepner, B10

7 Claims.

This invention relates to cars in general and in particular to mine cars of the large'capacity type carried on a plurality of independent trucks.

Due to the modern trend toward mechanized mining and long hauls from loading to unloading points, it has become necessary for economical operation to utilize large capacity cars carrying in the neighborhood of ten tons or more of coal or other material. In attempting to build large capacity cars, it has been found impossible to merely enlarge the present type of car, for to do so produces an unwieldy car of excessive weight and a car which is incapable of negotiating the sharp turns, both horizontal and verthe mines. 'It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a large capacity car with independent trucks at I each end and side of the car.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a high capacity mine .or similar car having independent trucks resiliently and rockably supporting the car.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a high capacity car mounted on independent trucks of the stub axle type through the medium of rubber compression units.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the right hand end 01 the car; v Fig. 2 is a view of the left hand portion of the car, the car body being shown in section with the section taken substantially on the longitudinal center line of the car;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of a portion of the car with the section taken through the center bearing of one of the trucks;

Fig. 4 is a plan view a portion of a truck and the supported body structure;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an end view of the car and showing the leit'hand end thereof, and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view with the right half Application April 25, 1940., Serial No. 331,547

taken substantially on line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and the I left half on line la of Fig. -2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the car body is formed by plate girder side walls 2 connected together by end walls 4 arid by a' floor structure 6. The plate girder side walls are formed with an upper chord 8 of triangular section derived by welding the edges or an angle directly to the side wall sheet,

while the bottom chord is formed by a continuous angle In extending from end to end of the car and with the ends offset upwardly to provide clearance for the supporting trucks. Thefloor of the car is located at various levels, the main central portion being at as low a level as possible between the trucks, while the central end portions are stepped'up slightly as at l2 (Figs. 1, 2, and '7) and with the side end portions stepped up a greater amount as at- M in order to accommodate the trucks later to be described. The floor portions are braced against sagging by transversely extending bulb angles l6 connected by gusset structures Hi to theside wall girders which are also reenforced by vertically extending stakes 20, thus it will be seen that the floor load will be transferred to the sidewall girders and carried by these girders which will be supported adjacent the ends of the car upon the transversel extending body bolsters 22. These bolsters may be of any form but in the present instance are formed of channels bent to conform with the floor contour and with the web directly supporting the floor portions, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The flanges 24 of the channel are directed downwardly and adjacent their ends provide a housing portion for truck parts later to be described. The load from the plate girder side walls is distributed to the body bolster structures by deep internal bolster gussets 26 which will also serve to prevent deflection of the side wall structures. The raised central end portions of the. car provide admirable space for the reception of resiliently mounted automatic couplers 28 which may be of any desired type. It will be seen that the car illustrated is intended for rotary dumping and to this end the channel 30 has been attached to the lower chord plate girder side walls between thetrucks, thus providing an outwardly openlng pocket for reception of the holding down devices in the rotary dumping machine.

The car body structure just described is supported at four points upon rubber cushion elements 32 formed as sandwiches by vulcanizing or otherwise attaching rubber or other resilient material to top and bottom plates 34. It is, of course, obvious that any number of these sandwich units may be used at each of the supported points, the number being dependent only upon the desired degree of resiliency required. The upper plate of these sandwich units bears directly upon the web 01 the channel form body bolster between the flanges 24 thereof and between inner and outer plates 36 and 31 welded to the channel'weband downwardly directed flanges of the body bolster. These inner and outer plates are pierced as at it with elongated openings to receive a transverse locking pin 40.

which will be held in place by a pin or bolt 42 extending through the pin and through ears ll welded or otherwise attached to the outer plate 31. It is, of course, obvious that the holes in the ears 44 adapted to receive pin or bolt 42 will be vertically elongated in order to accommodate vertical movement of the locking pin III. This locking pin 40 extends through a body center ilyaccommodate suchdistortion and will always plate structure 46 having a flat upper surface adapted to bear upon the lower plate of the resilient sandwichvunit and having a flat lower surface adapted to bear upon an antifrictionplate 48 supported in a truck center bearing 50. A flange 52 is provided on the body center plate structure to prevent entrance of dirt into the cylindrical bearing areas between the body center structure and truck center structure or bowl. The truck center structure or bowl 50, previously gether at their ends by plates 58' and carry intermediate their ends axle bearings 60 adapted ftobe supported on the ends of stub axles 62 zilange- 86 thereof is spaced upwardly above the truck side framesand in overlapping relation to.

the flange 52 of the body center plate structure,

'as clearly shown in' Figs. 1, 2 and 5. Thus it will be seen that these 2 section members not only tie the truck frames together adjacent the truck center bearing but also prevent separation of the truck and body center structures due to the overlap of the flange 66 with the flange 52. In order to provide substantially uniform angular motion v of the trucks at each end of the car, the independent truck side frames at each end of the car are tied together by means of tie bar 68 pivotallyconnected as at 10 to the inner truck frame.

From the preceding description of the body and truckit will be seen that an extremely rigid referred to, is directly riveted or otherwise attached to the webs 54 of truck side frames having theirflanges- 56 directed inwardly towards: each other. The truck side frames are tied tobody has been provided which is resiliently carried at four points upon an independent truck of the stub axle type'which is freely rotatable about a vertical axis. The greatest degree of freedom for the truck is necessary to permit its swinging in a horizontal plane and this is accomplished by the cylindrical bearing provided between the body center bearing member and the truck center bowl. It should be noted that the cylindrical area is of considerable depth and that the point of body support on the truck bowl is below thewheel centers, thus practically eliminating the sidewise tilting tendency caused by worn tracks or improper gauge. In order that the truck may follow the rails without derailment it is necessary that a certain amount of freedom be given permitting the truck to negotiate vertical curves and such freedom is provided by permitting the body center structure to rotate about the locking pin 40. In rocking about the locking pin III the resilient supporting unit or sandwich will, of course, be more heavily compressed at one side than at the other, but being formed of rubber or similar material it will readexert what might be termed a centering force tending .to retain the track in a position perpendicular to the axis of the truck center bowl. Accordingly it will be seen that the independent trucks resiliently support the body for substantially universal movement, at least a universal movement of a limited degree, with the limits be-- ing set by the amount of clearance provided between the raised end portions of the car body and the wheel flanges.

While the'inventlon has been described more or less in detail, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of parts may be made and all such modifications and rearrangements of parts are contemplated as will fall within the scope of the appended claims defining my invention.

What isclaimed is:

1. A mine or similar rail car comprising a lading body'having a floor and side walls and body supporting means secured to the car adJacent the corners thereof and each comprising, a truck frame mounted on wheels and axles. a center bearing structure supported by the truck and about which said truck frame may rotate in a plane at'right angles to the axis of the center bearing structure, means including pivot pins connecting said center bearing structure independently to the body for oscillatory movement solely about said pivot pins and in planes substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of -the car, and resilient means interposed between said center bearing structure and body to resiliently control said oscillatory movement of the center bearing structure about said pivot pins.

2. "A mine or similar rail car comprising a lading body having a floorand side walls and body supporting means secured to the car adjacent the comers thereof and each comprising,

a truck frame mounted on wheels and axles, a center bearing structure supported by the truck and about which said truck frame may rotate in 'a plane at right angles to the axis of the,

stantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the car, and resilient means interposed between said center bearing structure and body to resiliently control said oscillatory movement-of the center 'and supporting means secured to the bolsters and each comprising an independently mounted center bearing structure pivotally connected directly to said bolsters adjacent each end. thereof by pin and slot means which permits oscillatory movement of the associated center bearing structure solely in pla'nes substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of the car, re

silient means resiliently supporting the bolster end upon the center bearing structure for relative vertical movement, and a truck rotatably connected to the center bearing structure and supporting the same for rotation in a plane located substantially at right angles to the axis of the center bearing structure.

14. A mine or similar car comprising a lading body having a floor and side walls, body bolsters secured to said body adjacenteach end thereof, and supporting means secured to the bolsters and each comprising an independently mounted center bearing structure pivotally connected directly to said bolsters adjacent each end thereoi by pin and slot means which permits oscillatory movement of the associated center bearing structure solely in planes substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of the car, resilient means resiliently supporting the bolster ends upon the center bearing structures for relative vertical movement, said means also resiliently controlling the oscillatory movement of the center bearing structure about said pivot pins, and a truck rotatablyconnected to the center bearing structure and supporting the same for rotation in a plane located substantially at I ling said movement, a cylindrical bearing portion formed on said center bearing structure with the axis thereof intersecting said pivot rod substantially perpendicular thereto, and a truck rotatably engaging the center bearing structure and supportin the same for rotation in a'plane located substantially at right angles to the'axis of thecylindrical' bearing portion.

6. A mine or similar car comprising a lading body having a floor and side walls, body bolsters secured to said body adjacent each end thereof, and supporting means secured to the bolsters and each comprising a vertically'elongated center bearing structure, a pivot rod extending transversely of the car and connecting said center bearing structure and bolster together for relative vertical and oscillatory movement, resilient means supporting the car and controlling said movement, a cylindrical bearing portion formed on said center bearing structure with the axis thereof intersecting said pivot rod substantially perpendicular thereto, a truck rotatably engaging the center bearing structure and supporting the same for rotation in a plane located substantially at right angles to the axis of the cylindrical bearing portion. and means fastened to said truck and overlapping portions of said center bearing structure to retain the same in engagement with the truck.

7. A mine or similar car comprising a lading body having a floor and side walls, body bolsters secured to the body adjacent each end thereof, and supporting means secured to the body bolsters and comprising rigid trucks having the supporting wheels held in tandem arrangement, truck center bearing bowls secured to the trucks intermediate the supporting wheels of each truck, center bearing structures rotatably mounted in the bearing bowls, substantially horizontal pivot pins extending transversely of the car and connecting the center bearing structures and body bolsters together, and resilient means between said center bearing structures and body bolsters and acting to hold the trucks in a plane parallel to the car floor.

, ROBERT c. KEPNER. 

